By Sukuoluhle Ndlovu
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) has called on the African Union to urgently address the security threat in the continent.
Africa Day was under the African Union theme, “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.”
In its Africa Day commemoration statement pleaded with the AU to address the terrorist attacks by insurgents in different African countries.
“We call on the African Union to deal with the human security and survival threat that is posed by different terrorist groups on the continent. We call for African brokered political situations to resolve the root and structural causes of insurgent challenges in northern Mozambique, Northern Nigeria, Chad, the DRC, Cameroon and Niger. Many African people are suffering because of the resources under their feet.
The unjust system of unfettered market domination at the root of many conflicts across the continent will not stop spawning conflicts until asymmetrical neo-colonial relationships of domination and appropriation between African and the developed world are reversed.
“For this continent to grow, develop and thrive, it needs to have a robust governance structure that is supported by effective institutions that promote both sustainable economic growth for the youth and democracy for all. To this end, respecting continental agreements and protocols on democracy, elections and good governance by member states with the AU playing an effective watchdog role is important.
The time for AU to rubber stamp unfair and undemocratic elections in the continent must be a thing of the past. African art, culture and heritage beckons to a more hopeful future for a continent richly endowed yet radically crippled from reaching fullest potential,”
According to the International Financial Institutions, Africa will be home to the two third of the world’s population by 2025. It is therefore imperative that economic, political and social challenges be tackled.
